Bergk



T. VON ZWEIGBERGK. CONTACT FINGER FOB CCNTRDLLEBS 0B ELECTRIC SWITCHES (Application med Feb. 23,1898.)

(No Model.)

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NrTnD STATES PATENT innen.

TIIORSTEN VON ZWEIGBERGK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VALKER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CONTACT-FINGER FOR CONTROLLERS ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 61 1,087, dated September 20, 1898.

I Application filed February 23, 1898. Serial No. 671,289. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THoRsTEN voNZwEIG- BERGK, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and. useful Improvement in Contact-Fingers for Controllers or Electric Switches, of which the following is a f ull,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a contact-finger for controllers or electric switches which, while being simple and cheap in construction, shall be efficient in operation, effectually holding the finger in just the desired position.

Another object is to endow the contact-finger with simple means for holding it out of the path of the controller-cylinder, thus effectively cutting out the line which it represents.

The invention consists of the means I employ for attaining these objects, as hereinafter explained, and denitely enumerated in the form of combinations of parts in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a horizontal section of one form of my improved contactfinger. Fig. 2 isa plan of the contact-finger, having a different form of spring and adapted to receive its terminal at a different point. Fig. 3 is a plan of the contact-finger, having my hook for retaining the finger out of the path of the controller-cylinder. In each of these figures the finger is shown as attached to an ordinary supportingblock of wood. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the retaininghook, and Fig. 5 is avertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. l.

The same letters of reference designate the same parts on each of the figures.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the suitable strip or block of wood or other insulation which supports the contactfingers. The arc B represents the path of the surface of the controller-cylinder with which the contact-fingers are adapted to engage.

Secured by screws C C to the block Ais the base D of the contact-finger.

E represents a movable frame, which is adj ustably secured to the base D by a bolt F, passing through a slot c in the frame.

The contact-knob is shown at G. This is secured to and suitably supported by an arm H. This arm is given a tendency to return to its normal position when displaced by a suitable spring force, thesimplest and easiest arrangement of which is that shown where the arm is itself the spring. By the term springarmas used herein I mean, however, an arm which is given such tendency in any manner, either by its own resilience or otherwise.

As shown in the drawings, the arm H, which is a spring, passes through an opening e in the frame E, and when the vcontact-knob is out of engagement lies against a plate c2, ,which forms the front end of the frame, being carried by the integral arms e3, which continue the frame around the opening e. The point of connection of the other end of the spring H depends upon the shape of that spring. If the spring is substantially a flat spring, as shown in'Figs. l and 3, that endis connected to the rear of said plate of the frame, preferably by rivets e4, while if' the spring is of theoX-bow form shown in Fig. 2 it is clamped between the frame E and the base D, being independently secured to the frame or not, as desired.

The adjustable connection between the frame E and the base of the contact-finger allows the finger to be set in such position that when it is in engagement with the controller-cylinder it will be forced against it with just the proper force, whilewhen it is out of engagement the wall formed by the plate e2 will hold it in just the proper position to be readily engaged by the contactsegments. f

The electric conductor joins they contactlinger by projecting into Ia tubular hole 'd therein which is preferably either at the outer end of the base D, as shown in Fig. l, or at the rear, as in Fig.' 2, and a set-screw d holds the conductor in place. y

In order to e'nablea' contact-:linger to' be held out of the path of itscorresponding segment, and thus cut out the line which'the iinger represents, I provide such finger with la hook J. This hook consists, preferably, of a .pair of parallel bars j, secured together by an integral plate j. The bars lie at their rear IOO ends on opposite sides of the frame E and are pivoted to the latter by pins e5, projecting from that frame. The forward ends of the bars j are notched, as shown at j?, to give them a hook form, and this hook is adapted to take over projecting Wings g, which extend from each side of the shank of the contact-knob. The contact-knob is not pressed back by the controller-cylinder far enough for the Wings g to engage with the notches jz, and it will thus be seen that normally the hook J is idle and the finger operates as if the hook were not there. When the knob G, however, is drawn back of its extreme rear position, the notches j2 may pass over the wings g, and the force of the spring l-I will securely hold these wings in the notches, and thus the knob may be hooked back out of the way.

Suppose one of the motors burns out. The operator opens his controller-case and selecting the contact-finger having this cut-out attachment which represents that motor places his second finger against the outer side of the fin ger-lug d2 (which preferably projects from the base D when the hook J is used) and his thumb on the edge of the contact-knob, and, drawing the latter backward, shoves the hook J into place with his iirst Iinger, as is illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The contact-linger thereafter remains out of operation until such time as the hook is released. This is accomplished in a similar manner, the backward pull of the operators thumb on the contact-knob relieving the spring-pressure and the rst finger hooking over the inner edge of the upper bar j, and thus easily drawing out of engagement.

Having described my invention, I claiml. In a contact-finger, in combination, a base adapted to be secured to a suitable stationary block, a frame secured to said base, a spring held in place bysaid frame, suitable walls or stops carried by said frame and adapted to limit the movement of said spring in either direction, and a contact-knob carried by the spring, substantially as described.

2. In a contact-linger, in combination, a base adapted to be secured to a suitable stationary block, and means for securing an electric terminal to said base, a frame having an opening at its forward end, a spring-arm suitably secured on` one side of said opening and projecting through the opening, and a contact-knob secured to the spring-arm on the other side of the opening, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a contact-finger, of a base adapted to be secured to a stationary block, means for securing an electric terminal to said base, a frame having an opening near its forward end, a spring formed in the shape substantially of an oX-bow having its bow part below said frame and having an end projecting through said opening having the other end lying on the back side of said frame, means for adj ustably securing the frame to the base, and a contact-knob carried by the projecting end of said spring, substantially as described.

Il. In a contact-finger, in combination, a suitable base and frame, means for adjustably securing the frame to the base, a plate at the forward end of said frame, an opening through the frame just back of the plate, a spring-arm held in place at one end by the frame and having an intermediate portion lying along the inside of said plate, and a contact-knob carried by the other end of said spring-arm, substantially as described.

5. In a contact-finger, the combination of a frame, a spring-arm carried thereby, a contact-knob carried by the springarm and adapted to normally stand in position to be engaged bya controller-segment, and a hook pivoted to the frame and adapted to hook the knob back out of the path of the controllersegment, substantially as described.

6. Thecombination, in acontact-finger, of a suitable frame, a spring carried thereby, a contact-knob secured at its shank to said spring, wings projecting from said shank, a hook pivoted to the frame and adapted io engage with said wings and thereby hold the knob out of engagement with the controllersegment, substantially as described.

7 In a contact-finger, in combination, a suitable 'base adapted to be secured to a suitable block and receive an electric terminal, a frame adjustably secured thereto, a spring held in place at one end by said frame and having secured to it at its other end the shank of a lcontact-knob, a hook pivoted to said frame and adapted to engage with said shank and hold the contact-knob in position back of its normal position,substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a contact-linger, of a suitable frame, a spring-arm secured thereto, a contact-knob carried by said spring-arm and a hook having at one end a pair of arms pivoted to opposite sides of the frame, and having at the other end a shoulder adapted to engage with a suitable projection movable with the contact-knob, and thus lock the latter back of its normal position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THORSLEN VON ZWEIGBERGK.

Witnesses:

E. B. GILcHRIsr, ALBERT I-I. BATES.

IOO 

